Since the beginning of 2020, the nation has been plagued by a virus as well as politicians clamouring for power.
The latest episode comes in the form of Pakatan Harapan leader Anwar Ibrahim, who claims to possess sufficient support to form the next government, with speculation rife that Umno MPs are on the list as well.
Even Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak are linked to the potential coup.
However, Zahid had issued a statement this evening reaffirming Umno's support for Perikatan Nasional and this could turn out to be a blow for Anwar who has been waiting to be prime minister for more than two decades.
Amid the confusion, DAP appears to have adopted a safe stratagem, which is to make its position known when things become clearer and after assessing the feedback from the grassroots.
DAP MPs, who spoke to Malaysiakini, revealed that there is no common stand in the party or Pakatan Harapan Plus with regard to Anwar's move since there is no clarity concerning the number of MPs backing him.
Some even believe that Umno is using Anwar to rattle Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin into conceding more political privileges and positions to them.
However, they said DAP abides by the Harapan presidential council decision, where its 42 MPs would support Anwar to be prime minister if he is able to command the required backing to form the government.
Online meeting to discuss impasse
A party source told Malaysiakini that DAP MPs held an online meeting with party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and the consensus was to remain “cautious and prudent” for now.
Some of the MPs, he said, believe that DAP should declare its support for Anwar's coup while there are those who remain sceptical about BN MPs backing him.
Furthermore, he noted that 90 percent of DAP's electoral support comes from the Chinese and therefore their views cannot be ignored with regard to DAP joining hands with Umno.
“DAP wants a stable and lasting government. Since we have no idea about Anwar's backers, we have decided to stick with the previous stance of Harapan. There is a possibility some of Anwar’s backers might not be our ideal allies,” he added.
'This is a spat between Bersatu and Umno'
Similarly, Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi said the current political crisis stemmed from the conflict between Umno and Bersatu, and therefore it would be wise for DAP to keep its distance.
“We'll see what Umno has up their sleeves. The conflict became worse after the Sabah state election where Umno believes they were not given a fair deal. What does this have to do with DAP?
“There is certainly an element of Umno using Anwar to exert pressure on Bersatu. Whether Anwar has the numbers, only he and his party know,” she added.
'We will not forsake principles for power'
Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham said three agendas were agreed to during last week's online meeting.
The first is for DAP to assess its supporters' view on cooperating with Umno, the second is to keep tabs on the reaction of other parties and the potential of Anwar's coup succeeding, and the third is to remain vigilant of the political developments before making a decision.
Since GPS has dismissed the prospect of joining Anwar, Ngeh said the only route left for Harapan is to work with Umno. He described this as “not an ideal scenario.”
He said this might invite severe backlash from DAP supporters and affect Harapan's electoral prospects.
Umno, he noted, would have similar concerns as well on how its supporters would react to working with DAP.
“We know our supporters won’t support Najib and Zahid but what about Umno MPs that are not corrupt?” he asked.
“Most importantly, the people should not think that we are forsaking principles for power and positions. If the people feel that way, DAP will definitely stay out of government.
“Since we have been in the opposition for so many years, DAP will not support a countercoup for the sake of power alone,” the former Perak assembly speaker added.
On the same note, Ngeh said if other political parties are willing to set aside their differences and work together for the betterment of the people, DAP could also do the same.
Previously, DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang said DAP was prepared to work with Najib if the latter admitted his wrongdoings in the 1MDB scandal.
On the eve of the Sabah polls, Guan Eng declared that DAP would not work with Umono which was led by Zahid and Najib in Kota Kinabalu.
Possibility of dissolve parliament
Meanwhile, DAP is also concerned that Muhyiddin would persuade the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament for a snap election should Anwar prove that he has the numbers.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one DAP MP said Anwar's battleground would be the vote for the 2021 budget bills.
When the bills proceed to the committee stage, he said, Harapan MPs and lawmakers backing Anwar can vote against the bills to collapse Muhyiddin's administration.
“If the ambush succeeds, there will be a general election. What happens next for Malaysia? Muhyiddin would rather risk an election than resign his premiership," he added.
The MP believes that a general election at this juncture would not be favourable to Harapan and could worsen the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia.
Apart from this, the MP also noted that DAP is in dilemma as its supporters would not accept the party working with Umno or the so-called Dr Mahathir Mohamad-Tengku Razaleigh faction.
“DAP needs to be extra cautious and it is best to keep mum on the current impasse,” the MP added. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.